Traditionally, information is written and distributed by means of pen and paper. However, such paper-based information is difficult to manage and communicate in an efficient way.
Computers are to an ever-increasing extent used for management and communication of information. The information is typically input by means of a keyboard and stored in the computer memory, for example on a hard disk. However, it is a slow process to input information with a keyboard, and there is a significant risk of errors occurring in the process. Graphic information, such as drawings and images, is normally fed to the computer through a separate device, such as a scanner or the like. The process of feeding such information to the computer is time-consuming, lengthy, and often yields unsatisfactory results. When the information eventually is located in the computer, it can easily be communicated to other, for example as an e-mail or SMS via an Internet connection, or as a fax via a fax modem.
The present Applicant has proposed a remedy to this problem in the international application WO 01/16691, which is incorporated herein by this reference and in which the Applicant envisages the use of product having a writing surface which is provided with a position code. The position code, which codes a plurality of positions on the surface, enables electronic recording of information that is being written on the writing surface, by means of a digital pen which detects the position code. The product also has one or more activation icons which, when detected by the digital pen, cause the pen to initiate a respective predetermined operation which utilizes the information recorded by the pen.
More specifically, the position-coded product has a built-in functionality, in that different positions on the product, such as positions within the activation icon and positions within the writing surfaces are dedicated for different functions. Furthermore, the position code is capable of coding coordinates of a large number of positions, much larger than the number of necessary positions on the product. Thus, the position code can be seen as forming a virtual space which is defined by all positions that the position code is capable of coding, different positions in the virtual space being dedicated for different functions and/or actors.
The above-concept can be used for a number of different purposes. The combination of pen and position-coded product can be used as an input device to a computer, a PDA, a mobile phone or the like. For example, text and sketches written on a position-coded notepad can be transferred via the pen to a computer. Additionally, the combination of pen and position-coded product allows for global communication, directly from the product via the pen, by the position code on the product being dedicated for such communication. For example, the information registered by the pen can be transformed to a fax message, an e-mail or an SMS, and then be sent from the pen to a recipient. Further, the combination of pen and position-coded product can be used in e-commerce. For example, the digital pen can be used to order an item from a position-coded advertisement in a magazine, by the position code in the advertisement being dedicated for such a service.
The above concept has been implemented in a system or infrastructure, which is shown in FIG. 1 and which is further disclosed in Applicant's international patent applications PCT/SE00/02640, PCT/SE00/02641, and PCT/SE00/02659 which are incorporated herein by this reference. The system of FIG. 1 comprises a plurality of digital pens DP, a plurality of products P with a position code PC, a lock-up unit ALS, and a plurality of service handler units SH. The look-up unit ALS comprises one or more computer servers that communicate with a database containing the virtual space and information related thereto. For example, the database could associate one or more positions in the virtual space with a network address to a particular service handler unit SH. The service handler unit SH is a server unit effecting a service, such as storing or relaying digital information, or initiating transmission of information or items to a recipient.
When the digital pen DP is operated to mark an activation icon AI on the position-coded product P, the pen DP initiates an operation to forward a message to the look-up unit (step 1), for example via short-range radio transmission to a mobile phone MP acting as a modem for connection to the look-up unit ALS. The message contains a unique pen identifier and at least one position from the digital information that has been recorded electronically on the writing surface of the product P. Based on the position content of the message, the look-up unit ALS instructs the digital pen DP to contact a specific service handler unit SH at the above-mentioned network address (step 2). The pen DP then sends the message to the service handler unit SH (step 3), which instructs the pen DP on what data to send, and how to format and tag that data (step 4). After having received the requested data from the pen DP (step 5), the service handler unit SH returns a verification thereof to the pen DP (step 6).
The information management system of FIG. 1 involves many inter-reliant actors: companies manufacturing the digital pens (“pen manufacturers”), companies manufacturing the position-coded products (“paper manufacturers”), companies providing different services by means of the service handler units (“service handlers”), a company administrating the position-code based on the virtual space database (“pattern administrator”), operators providing the communication link between the digital pens and the different units (“network operators”), and a multitude of users of digital pens (“pen owners”).
One major problem that remains to be solved is how to coordinate the different actors in the system in a simple and efficient way.